I never pick upsets. It’s not that I’m afraid to. It’s just that, in high school football, they’re so rare.

Well, this is the week I change that. When I looked at the schedule for this weekend, there were a few games with potential upset promise. So I’m going with the underdog. Week 3 was about drama. Week 4 will be the Week of the Underdog.

Big 10
Nyack 35, Fox Lane 27: Let’s start with a near upset. After watching Nyack last week, I think its secondary is up for the challenge. The Indians should be able to get a rush on Jesse Hunt. But beware because he’s dangerous on short-yardage throws and getting rid of the ball.
North Rockland 28, Suffern 13: Part of wants to pick the Mounties here but I’ve seen this play before. Every year there’s a team in the AA-West league that rises up and challenges North Rockland. Few, though, every actually beat it. If Sal Sulla plays, which isn’t definite, I like North Rockland to get to 4-0.
Somers 24, Yorktown 13: I have this feeling that Somers is going to be able to move the ball on Yorktown without a problem. The Tuskers will just not be able to put the Corhuskers away until the fourth quarter.
White Plains 21, Mount Vernon 7: Expect a tough, physical game. Mount Vernon has just had too much trouble sustaining drives and getting into the end zone to beat a team this good. The Tigers will get to show off their depth in this game.
Nanuet 28, Lourdes 12: It’s hard to get a gauge on Lourdes, which went from beating Sleepy Hollow in Week 1 to barely getting by winless Ardsley last week. Regardless, Nanuet has the size to match up and far too many playmakers in the backfield.
Eastchester 20, Harrison 10: Eastchester won’t let down after beating Rye. But the score will look like it nearly did. I see the Eagles really overpowering the Huskies but never getting ahead by much. Harrison has a way of sticking around games like this. Eastchester wins and moves on.
Mahopac 28, John Jay 27: Mahopac follows up a season-changing with over Carmel with a dramatic victory over Jay — one week after Jay beat Ketcham by a point. Huge game for both teams. If either wants to have a chance to reach the AA playoffs, they have to win this week.
And finally, the upsets…
Bronxville 28, Croton-Harmon 21: Love the Broncos at home against a Croton team missing its best lineman, Bobby Dusconi (arm). I witnessed how Bronxville rose to the challenge to play Dobbs Ferry two weeks ago. They’ll be up again to play a Croton team that eliminated it from last year’s playoffs.
Carmel 27, Arlington 20: Nobody in League AA-North is going undefeated, and I think Carmel is the type of team that will give Arlington problems. Look for the Rams to bounce back, improve on a shaky special teams showing and beat an Admirals team that could be due for an off week.
Hastings 31, Dobbs Ferry 28: Cannot remember the last time I actually picked Dobbs Ferry to lose. Anyway, I think the Eagles face a massive challenge in Hastings, which has as much offensive firepower as any team in Class C. As long as Hastings can endure the early jitters, they finally beat Dobbs after several close calls.

Friday
Panas 28, Beacon 7
Albertus Magnus 42, Putnam Valley 38
Tappan Zee 26, Port Chester 12
Ossining 35, Pearl River 14
Clarkstown South 14, Ramapo 7
Rye 34, Sleepy Hollow 13
Iona Prep 35, Xaverian 14

Saturday
Hopkins 35, Hackley 21
Stepinac 37, Christ the King 8
Woodlands 18, Pawling 12
Yonkers 14, Dover 13
Edgemont 32, Westlake 6
Roosevelt 35, Saunders 0
Rye Neck 29, Lincoln Hall 12
New Rochelle 41, Scarsdale 13
Pleasantville 29, Irvington 14
Pelham 20, Ardsley 15
Poughkeepsie 34, Brewster 20
Briarcliff 28, Kennedy 14
Clarkstown North 14, Mamaroneck 7
Lakeland 24, Peekskill 0
Gorton 21, Lincoln 0
Horace Greeley 34, Byram Hills 14
Valhalla 21, Blind Brook 7
Spring Valley 42, Hen Hud 14
Tuckahoe 28, Haldane 14
Rye Country Day 21, St. Luke’s 20

Sunday
Holy Cross 34, Fordham Prep 31

Here are the honorees from this week:

Player of the Week:
Dillon Addonizio, Mahopac: The junior running back turned around the Indians’ season on Saturday and helped change one of Section 1’s best rivalries. Addonizio ran through huge holes all day but powered his way to 176 yards and three touchdowns as Mahopac knocked off Carmel, 34-27. Addonizio rescued a Mahopac offense that hadn’t scored in its first two games and repositioned the Indians for a berth in the Class AA playoffs. Addonizio has a chance to really be a star in the Lower Hudson Valley. It might have started here.

Coach of the Week:
Fred DiCarlo, Eastchester: The biggest win for the Eagles this decade? The last five decades? It might have been. DiCarlo did something no coach in the area has been able to do in the last seven seasons — beating Rye, 13-7, at home on Saturday. For all the schemes and adjustments the Eagles made, the best thing DiCarlo brought to the table this week was attitude. He had his team believing they could beat mighty Rye, which had won a state-best 27 consecutive games. Confidence is as high as ever at Eastchester right now. And the Eagles just might be the best team in Class A because of it.

Watch a replay of tonight’s Varsity Central Chat by clicking here or logging on to lohud.com/vclive

The previous Players and Coach of the Week:

Player of the Week
Week 1: Mark White, Woodlands
Week 2: Bronxville offensive line

Coach of the Week
Week 1: Phil Treglia, Woodlands
Week 2: Bill Delaney, Suffern

Check out tonight’s edition of Varsity Central Chat at 7 p.m. You can watch it by clicking here.

Tim Muller and Jesse Hunt of Fox Lane will be our special guests.

Josh Thomson and I will be releasing the Player and Coach of the Week at the top of the show and we’ll then open the conversation to Tim and Jesse.

The full state rankings can be found on the Road to Syracuse site, which is part of the New York State Sportswriters Association. You can find that here.

Below are the list of the local teams in the rankings:

Class AA
3. New Rochelle
14. North Rockland
19. Arlington

Class A
8. Nyack
10. Eastchester
11. Rye
12. Stepinac
13. Ossining

Class B
5. Pleasantville
18. Nanuet

Class C
4. Croton-Harmon
6. Bronxville
19. Dobbs Ferry

Class D
12. Tuckahoe

We’ll have Fox Lane standouts Timmy Muller and Jesse Hunt in our studio tonight for Varsity Central Chat starting at 7 p.m. We’ll also be revealing the Player and Coach of the Week. It might have been the most competitive contest for the No. 1 spot I can ever remember.

Here’s 4-2:

4. Bruce Grant, Fordham Prep: The senior running back picked the wrong week to put up an insane amount of yards. Grant, who lives in White Plains, rushed for 292 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries in Fordham’s crucial 32-25 victory over St. Francis Prep. It was the Rams much-needed first win in what still could be a very good season in the AAA Division. Any other week, those numbers are good for the top spot. Grant, I can assure, will get another crack at it this season.
3. Sam Loussedes, Arlington: Another player who, on another week, would be taking home the top prize. The senior quarterback was Tom Brady-esque in Arlington’s stunning 23-20 victory over John Jay-EF on Saturday in arguably the biggest game in Dutchess County this decade. Loussedes went 8 of 15 passing for 178 yards and two scores, leading the Admirals on two scoring drives in the final minutes. He capped his sensational 90-yard series in the final two minutes with a 29-yard touchdown pass as time expired to pull off one the most dramatic moments of the season.
2. James Kehoe and Kevin Bronner, Eastchester: The most dramatic moment, however, belongs to these guys. Eastchester picked up a win for the ages on Saturday, ending Rye’s 27-game overall winning streak and 59-game string against Section 1 competition, dating back to 2002. The two-time defending state champion Garnets had the ball on the Eagles 1, down on six with 15 seconds left when Kehoe and Bronner stopped Rye quarterback Connor Eck at the goal-line on fourth down in a heart-pounding final minute. Kehoe and Bronner got credit for the tackle, although Johnny Martin was in to finish it off. The entire Eagles defense deserves a share of this one.
(Updated, 5:03 p.m: Bronner rushed for 65 yards and had 145 yards receiving and a touchdown. Kehoe, aside from locking down Rye’s vaunted running game, anchored an Eastchester offensive line that controlled the majority of the game).

The Player and Coach of the Week will be announced tonight at VC Chat. Tune in at 7 p.m. The coach, I think, is an easy pick. The player wasn’t my first choice. But I was convinced by Josh Thomson just how good this guy was this weekend and why he deserves the No. 1 spot.

Here are the next three Game Balls from Week 3. The Player and Coach of the Week will be released on tomorrow night’s edition of Varsity Central Chat, which starts at 7 p.m.

7. Tommy DiCarlo, Eastchester: You figured there had to be one (or maybe several) Eastchester players in the Top 10. After all, the Eagles did pull off one of the biggest regular season wins in school history. DiCarlo was a major factor in the dramatic 13-7 win over Rye. The junior quarterback followed up his last-minute heroics versus Poughkeepsie by throwing for over 200 yards against the Garnets with a touchdown. DiCarlo didn’t rush for many yards but seemed to come up with every big play with his legs. His confidence and poise at quarterback was a major reason the Eagles were able to end the great Rye run.
6. Timothy Perley, Iona Prep: If you watched the final minutes of Iona Prep’s loss to Holy Cross two weeks ago, you never would have expected what happened on Saturday. Perley stepped in for an injured Tyrae Woodson-Samuels and played up the standard of the reigning Journal News player of the year. Perley threw for 304 yards on 27-of-34 passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions as Iona pulled off a 27-7 victory over Chaminade. Given the way the first two weeks went for Iona, Perley might be credited for turning around the season for the defending CHSFL champs.
5. A.J. Pritchett and Donovan Walker, Roosevelt: The biggest win for Roosevelt in decades came with the outstanding play of Walker and Pritchett. Walker threw three touchdown passes to Pritchett in the Indians’ 33-20 win at Harrison on Saturday. Pritchett caught six passes for 122 yards while Walker threw for 137 yards, rushed for 66, recorded 11 tackles and a fumble recovery on defense. We could throw running back David Thomas into this presentation. But he ran for 150 yards and two scores. Aren’t those pretty standard numbers for him at this point? He’s just that good.

Thanks for the patience with these. I’ll post the next three later tonight and will reveal the Player and Coach of the Week on tomorrow’s Varsity Central Chat show at 7 p.m.

We’ll have one of Section 1’s most dangerous passing combos on tomorrow night’s edition of Varsity Central Chat: Fox Lane quarterback Jesse Hunt and receiver Tim Muller of undefeated Fox Lane.

Muller and Hunt will be in our studio as they prepare for Friday’s showdown with reigning Class A champion Nyack. That game is on Friday at 7 p.m.

Josh Thomson and I will also be answering your questions and comments, as well as announcing the Player and Coach of the Week.

I’ll be posting the next set of Game Balls tonight and tomorrow morning.

A great week of action resulted in a difficult selection process of Game Balls.

Remember, I can only make my selections based on the games we had reported to The Journal News this weekend. So if you think somebody is missing from the list and we didn’t receive the information, don’t blame me; blame the coach.

Here’s what I came up with:

Honorable mention: Luke D’Allesandro, Hastings; Daryl Shuler, White Plains; Marcus Givan, Putnam Valley; Anthony DiMarisco, Suffern; John O’Hagan, Pearl River; Dylan Schuck, Kennedy; Elijah Sorel, Nyack; Ed Jung, Edgemont; Tom O’Riordan, North Rockland; Timmy Muller, Fox Lane.
10. Kyle Davy, Ossining: You might not know the name but Davey is definitely emerging as a difference-making on defense. The senior lineman was exceptional on both sides of the ball in Saturday’s 35-0 win over Port Chester. He recorded 19 tackles and three sacks on defense and helped pave the way for an Ossining offense that rushed for 172 yards and threw for 74 to improve to 2-1 on the year. Line-play is vital for Ossining moving forward and Davy will have lead that charge.
9. Jameson Pickel, John Jay: The Indians got their first victory in dramatic fashion, rallying in the fourth quarter for a wild 35-34 win over Ketcham. Pickel ran in the winning score, a 3-yarder with just over four minutes remaining. Pickel threw for 175 yards and ran for 93 yards and three scores.
8. Tom Hanney, Nanuet: As I wrote earlier, Hanney could be one of, if not the, most valuable player in Section 1. He showed why in Saturday’s 28-14 win over Sleepy Hollow. Hanney’s numbers were great: 10 of 11 passing for 174 yards and a touchdown, and 59 yards rushing and two touchdowns. But it was how he managed the game and make key plays in the second half that secured this victory. Hanney is so poised and so confident. With him leading the way, the Golden Knights’ championship aspirations get more realistic every day.

Week 3 was mayhem. And the rankings reflect it.

I sat down Sunday night and completely tore up the rankings. I started over. I looked at the body of work of every team, balancing what they’ve done with what I believe they’ll do. So don’t bother looking at last week’s list and comparing. I started over. This is what I came up with.

As you’ll see, I have a question for every team. Feel free to provide your own answers.

Top 10
1. New Rochelle (3-0): It’s almost like the Huguenots haven’t played a game in two weeks because, well, they really haven’t. The starters on offense and defense haven’t played into the second quarter in wins over Gorton and Lincoln. Is it better to be fresh or have time under your belt?
2. Iona Prep (1-2): A much needed lift for the Gaels came via their backup quarterback. Timothy Perley and a strong defensive effort guided Iona to a 27-7 win over Chaminade. St. Anthony’s proved how brutal the CHSFL schedule can be by losing to St. Joseph’s-by-the-Sea.  Is the season turned around for Iona or was this just a one week fix?
3. Stepinac (3-0): As expected, the Crusaders disposed of Cardinal Spellman in easy fashion, just like they will the next few weeks. Is this team this good or is the schedule this easy?
4. North Rockland (3-0): It’s hard to make too big of a deal out of this week’s Suffern-North Rockland showdown, at least from North Rockland’s standpoint. While every other team in the county has gone through cycles of success this decade, the Red Raiders have consistently been at the top. Is Suffern a serious threat?
5. Arlington (3-0): Another amazing victory for the Admirals, who have won nine straight dating back to last season. They did it in heroic fashion, knocking off John Jay-EF with a touchdown as time expired. Now that Arlington has seperated itself as the top team in AA-North, does this burgeoning program have the mettle it takes to stay there?
6. Eastchester (3-0): Can’t argue with the body of work. The Eagles squashed Saunders, contained Poughkeepsie just long enough and toppled the Rye dynasty in the span of three weeks. As far as resumes go, who’s is better than that?
7. Nyack (3-0): The Indians took care of a surging Spring Valley team in very impressive fashion. It wasn’t the points they scored or yardage they amassed. It was the style and execution. Nyack looked like a disciplined group that executed and adjusted when it had to. Say what you want about Eastchester. But should Nyack be the team to beat in Class A?
8. Rye (2-1): The streak is over and, honestly, it’s probably the best thing. Most of these players were in fourth and fifth grade when it started. They shouldn’t have to carry the burden, similar to the way Dobbs Ferry shouldn’t have had to last season. The Garnets still have the talent to win it all. Do they have poise?
9. Ossining (2-1): It’s hard to get jazzed up about beating Tappan Zee and Port Chester. But Ossining has found plenty of bright spots in those two wins, mainly the enduring confidence of quarterback Lemar Johnson. Still, what will distinguish the teams in A will be line-play and Ossining’s didn’t play well whatsoever against Rye. Can the unit get it together in time?
10. White Plains (3-0): Saw the Tigers first-hand on Friday night and was very impressed. Few teams possess the stable of running backs White Plains has. Each is big, fast and knows how to run downhill. The Tigers have been good this decade. Is this finally the time they become great?
On the brink: John Jay-EF (2-1); Suffern (3-0); Somers (3-0); Ossining (2-1); Fox Lane (3-0); Mount Vernon (2-1); Roosevelt (3-0).

Class AA
1. New Rochelle
2. North Rockland
3. Arlington
4. White Plains
5. John Jay-EF

Class A
1. Eastchester
2. Nyack
3. Rye
4. Somers
5. Ossining
6. Fox Lane
7. Roosevelt
8. Poughkeepsie
9. Horace Greeley
10. Yorktown

Class B
1. Pleasantville
2. Nanuet
3. Briarcliff
4. Lourdes
5. Sleepy Hollow

Class C/D
1. Croton-Harmon
2. Bronxville
3. Hastings
4. Dobbs Ferry
5t. Tuckahoe
5t. Rye Neck
5t. Albertus Magnus

In case you haven’t heard, Rye lost on Saturday to Eastchester. Yeah, seriously. The Eagles held the two-time state champs on the goal-line on fourth down in the final seconds to preserve a thrilling 13-7 victory before a massive crowd at Eastchester.

Rye hadn’t lost to a team in Section 1 since 2002, a streak of 59 consecutive victories that spanned six Section 1 Class B championships. We broke out the record books and scanned the archives and found this information:

Last loss to a Section 1 team: Nov. 9, 2002 – 21-12 to Somers in the DiMuro Awards Bowl
First win: Sept. 6, 2003 – 35-7 against Nanuet
Overall record: 73-4 since the start of the 2003 season
Section 1 titles: 6 (all in Class B)
State championships: 3
Overall winning streak: 27 games, which had been the longest active streak in the state.

Once the state-best streak ended, I looked through the archives to find out who now owns the longest current winning streak in Section 1. It led me on a three-hour voyage through my records and the arrival at some staggering numbers.

First, who has the longest current winning streak in Section 1? The answer might shock you: It’s Arlington at nine. Yes, a team that won two games total in 2006-07 is now the hottest team in the section.

Arlington is 3-0 this year after a heart-stopping win on Saturday over John Jay-EF. And here’s its schedule from last year:

Ketcham: W 22-17
Carmel: L 30-6
John Jay-EF: L 32-20
Mahopac: L 31-7
Suffern: W 42-0
Lincoln W 42-26
Scarsdale: W 34-21
Roosevelt: W 24-20
Lourdes: W 39-6

Arlington didn’t make the playoffs in AA after a 4-3 regular season, and went on to win both of its bowl games for six victories in a row. The other Section 1 teams currently 3-0 lost in the playoffs last year. What I also noticed was that Arlington was 4-0 against teams outside of Dutchess and Putnam counties.

Scanning that list persuaded me to check out another Dutchess County school’s schedule: Ketcham. The Indians went 5-4 overall. But they went 5-0 against teams in, you guessed it, Westchester and Rockland.

We already had an idea that the League AA-North was the best in Section 1. Once I went through the last five seasons and games, I was convinced it was true.

Look at the overall records for Class AA’s three Dutchess schools (Arlington, Ketcham and John Jay-EF) and the two Putnam schools (Carmel and Mahopac).

Note: The teams overall records are first, followed by their record against teams in Westchester and Putnam, from the start of 2004 through Week 3.

Carmel: 31-19, 17-7
Mahopac: 32-19, 17-8
Arlington: 17-31, 8-10
Ketcham: 25-22, 16-7
John Jay-EF: 30-19, 13-10

Combined, these five schools:
135-110 overall
71-42 vs. Westchester and Putnam schools

Last year was the best of all as they combined to go 22-3 against teams in Westchester and Rockland. Two of those losses, mind you, were to eventual sectional champion New Rochelle, which beat Mahopac in the semifinals and Carmel in the title game (the other was Carmel’s loss to North Rockland in the regular season).

Think about that 71-42 record for a moment. That’s a .628 winning percentage, and it’s worth noting that a number of those losses came to either John Jay, North Rockland or New Rochelle. The latter two have combined to win every Class AA sectional title this decade.

The numbers illustrate just how far the Dutchess and Putnam schools have come in recent years. Do you credit the coaches? It’s hard not to see the parralel with Brian Walsh going to John Jay-EF in ‘05, Pat Keevins going to Ketcham in ‘06, and Dominick DeMatteo getting hired at Arlington in ‘07.

Against teams in Westchester/Rockland:

Walsh is 11-6
Keevins in 11-3
DeMatteo is 4-3

That’s 26-12 (.684). Amazing.

The rise of Dutchess will result in a championship one of these seasons. Will this be it? New Rochelle, I’m sure, will have something to say about that.

Still, it will be worth following this trend the rest of the way. I’d be willing to bet that the three teams out of AA-North that don’t make the playoffs go undefeated in bowl games.

Just wanted to share my findings. If you have anything to add, I’d love to hear it.

What a weekend. Let’s wrap it up and then move on to Week 4…

Mount Vernon 21, Gorton 6: I saw both these teams play New Rochelle this season. And I can’t believe Mount Vernon didn’t put up a better showing in this one. Perhaps Gorton got it together since last Thursday despite a depleted roster. But this isn’t a promising sign for the Knights, who have to beat White Plains to clinch a playoff berth in Class AA. A loss and they could still get in. But they’ll need to play better than this to make any noise in the postseason.
Hackley 29, Riverdale Country Day 26: On Friday afternoon, I stopped by this game for the first half. The Hornets have a future superstar in Adam Parker. The sophomore from Yonkers is a little thin. But his vision and ability to make cuts was phenomenal. He had 146 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Chris Starr impressed me in the secondary, and Darnell Davis is a good linebacker. But remember Parker’s name. His potential is limitless.
Somers 45, Brewster 0: No question, I thought Somers would win this game. But by this margin? Wow. Teams in Class A should take notice because Brewster isn’t a rollover. Matt Deiana had 98 yards rushing and a touchdown, and Matt Lancia completed 7 of 8 passes as Somers blew out its third straight opponent.
White Plains 41, Scarsdale 13: I was there and this was never really a game. White Plains is very talented, especially running back/linebacker Daryl Shuler. He had 97 yards and three touchdowns in the contest, but was one of many talented runners White Plains showcased. Anthony Cardon and Khadre Merot were both impressive, too, and I thought Mike Trapp had a little moxy at quarterback. White Plains has a chance to really do something this season. By the way, Scarsdale receiver Matt Wheeler is awesome. Don’t sleep on him. He’s one of the best around at his position.
Nyack 44, Spring Valley 12: If you’re doing the math, the two games I watched this weekend were combined 85-25. Ugh, it was difficult listening to all the rest of the scores. Anyway, Nyack had little trouble against the upstart Tigers. The Indians were clearly a team that’s been in the big game before. What really impressed me about Nyack was how well the Indians executed. It doesn’t matter if they’re not quite as talented as last year’s team (which I’d debate, by the way). This is a team that blocks, tackles and executes when it needs to. Donald Davis overcame an early elbow injury and ran very well and Venson Constant scored twice. Ray Nichols didn’t have to do much, but he did connect on a TD pass to Mark Castellano, the coach’s son. Castellano, by the way, threw tremendous block in the third quarter to spring a touchdown.
Suffern 28, Mamaroneck 7: As expected the Mounties coasted past Mamaroneck to improve to 3-0 heading into this week’s showdown with North Rockland. Anthony DiMarsico continued his incredible senior season, rushing for two touchdowns, returning a punt for a score and intercepting a pass. The bandwagon is revved up in Suffern these teams. After the win, the team received a fire-truck escort through the town upon its return. If the Mounties can pull out a win this weekend, they might as well have a full parade.
Pearl River 6, Tappan Zee 0: A gritty effort by the Pirates, who scored a first-quarter touchdown and held on the rest of the way. John O’Hagan had eight tackles and eight assists to highlight another strong defensive effort. Tappan Zee has lost back-to-back games.
Fordham Prep 32, St. Francis Prep 25: The bar has been set for the season for running backs: Bruce Grant exploded on Friday night, rushing for 292 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries. The Rams desperately needed this win after dropping their first two. Grant came to the rescue and proved that he is one of the area’s top runners.
Bronxville 22, Albertus Magnus 7: Brian Murray shifted from all-section running back to quarterback and guided the Broncos to victory. Murray replaced Jack Near, who injured his knee against Dobbs Ferry and will likely be out against Croton. Liam Berney made his return after missing all of last season with a shoulder injury. Next up for the Broncos: The Champs.
Clarkstown North 13, Clarktown South 10: A blocked punt keyed the victory for North, which hadn’t won the rivalry’s Supervisors Cup in six years. Important first win for the Rams, who have a roster littered with underclassmen. Getting the experience of beating rival South on a Friday night will certainly pay dividends down the road. If you read Jake Thomases story in Saturday’s Journal News, this probably caught your attention:

He was less happy about North’s reaction after the win. The Rams’ boundless enthusiasm, he believes, got a little out of control.

“Not to take anything away,” he said, “but I was a little disappointed about the behavior at the end of the game by the other side. To watch kids from neighboring schools spit on the Viking head, it was embarrassing.’‘

Scarpelli also said the Clarkstown North players were yelling expletives at his kids.

“At that point I told the kids: You know what? I’m proud of you. I think we won. That ruined this game. For me it did.”

The rest of Week 3: Dylan Schuck guided Kennedy to its second win, 23-6, over Westlake. Schuch had 121 yards and two touchdowns. … Horace Greeley won its second straight, edging Lakeland 25-12. … Edgemont got its first victory. Ed Jung had four touchdown runs in a 32-19 win at Irvington. … Yorktown blew out Hen Hud, 30-0. The Sailors are really struggling. … Lourdes outlasted Ardsley, 22-14. A little bit surprised by that score. This is the same Lourdes team that beat Sleepy, right? … Lincoln Hall beat Haldane in the closing seconds. Unfortunately, we didn’t receive any information on this game at TJN other than the score. … Blind Brook edged Yonkers, 20-12. … Croton-Harmon stomped Woodlands to get to 3-0 heading into Saturday’s showdown with Bronxville. … Rye Country Day flew past Long Island Lutheran and Rye Neck knocked off Tuckahoe, 14-12. So Rye was the only team in the town not to win on Saturday. … Byram Hills won its first game, beating Beacon 12-0. … Valhalla knocked off Dover 42-12. The Vikings are clearly the top team in the developmental league. … Luke D’Allesandro rushed for 201 yards as Hastings won a shootout with Putnam Valley, 47-30. … New Rochelle, Dobbs Ferry, Pelham, Ossining and Panas all won convincingly. … Fieldston beat Sacred Heart 33-13 in a rematch of last year’s Hudson Valley Football Conference championship.

Let’s continue what my tired brain started last night. An in-depth look at five more fantastic games from a memorable weekend:

Game 6
Pleasantville 22, Briarcliff 15

What a wild finish in another incredible rivalry game. Pleasantville survived a back and forth contest as quarterback Nolan Robinson repeatedly made big, gutsy plays.

The biggest was a simple 3-yard run on a fourth-and-2 to keep possession and run out the clock in the final minutes. It wasn’t the play Pleasantville called, either. Check out Josh Thomson’s story in today’s Journal News on this game to really get a grasp on what happened. It’s unreal.

Important win for Pleasantville, which took advantage of turnovers and penalties all night. Pleasantville down 8-0 after giving up a TD on the opening drive and then giving up a safety on its first possession. It tied it with a Michael Morra touchdown run, followed by a jaw-dropping Jack Bramswig touchdown catch. Briarcliff got the lead back at 15-14 in the third quarter on a Jamie Kaltner TD pass to Michael Spitalieri before the Panthers provided the drama in the fourth.

Morra punched in the winning score 17 seconds into the fourth quarter and Pleasantville’s defense clamped down the rest of the way.

What does this mean for both teams? Well, Briarcliff is definitely better than anybody thought. Once Sleepy Hollow lost in the opener and Edgemont slid to an 0-2 start, it looked like Pleasantville and Nanuet were ready for a showdown. Briarcliff should win out and be a confident team when the Class B playoffs begin.

Maybe not. Still, the win does set up a huge matchup between Nanuet and Pleasantville in two weeks (Oct. 10). Nanuet should get past Lourdes and be 4-0. And Pleasantville should beat Irvington to be the same.

Game 7
John Jay 35, Ketcham 34

Not a bad way to get win No. 1.

Jameson Pickel guided Jay to a fourth-quarter comeback, running in the winning score from three yards out with over four minutes to play. Pickel threw for nearly 200 yards, rushed for 93 and two scores, and Will O’Donnell caught 11 passes for 143 yards.

The Indians, who lost to John Jay-EF and Carmel, were strong defensively in the final minutes, a major positive considering they got worn down in the second half the first two weeks.

When this score came in to our office, I simply shook my head. With Mahopac beating Carmel and then this game, the parity League AA-North was even greater than I thought.

And because of it, the league is going to get jipped.

Why? Well, the playoff system in AA works like this: There are three leagues (West, North and South) and the top two teams in each get automatic berths. The other two playoff spots are by wild card based on overall record (among the three third-place teams).

Right now, the seeds in the South league (1. New Rochelle, 2. Mount Vernon-White Plains winner) and in the West league (1. N. Rockland-Suffern winner, 2. N. Rockland-Suffern loser). But the North, with Arlington unbeaten, John Jay-Ef with one loss and Carmel, Ketcham, John Jay and Mahopac all with two losses, the picture is fuzzy. Will Arlington and Jay-EF win out? You can’t guarantee that. If either loses another league game, it could be a total mess.

Basically, there could be only two teams making the playoffs out of the North league because they’ve all beaten each other. It doesn’t seem right. Let’s see how it plays out before we start bellyaching. But, by this time next week, we could start.

Game 8
Iona Prep 27, Chaminade 7

This game didn’t have the drama of the previous seven. But it certainly was significant.

With star quarterback Tyrae Woodson-Samuels out, the Gaels sitting at 0-2 and one of the league’s top defenses awaiting, Iona Prep went out and put together as solid and flawless an effort as it could have asked for.

Reserve quarterback Timothy Perley was fantastic, passing for 225 yards and two touchdowns, and Jeff Mack rushed for 150 yards and two scores. A week after allowing 28 unanswered points, the Iona defense finally lived up to the hype to notch victory No. 1.

You have to feel good for Perley. The junior was thrown into a burning building last week as Iona melted down and turned a 42-21 lead when Woodson got hurt in the fourth quarter into a disastrous 49-42 loss at home to Holy Cross. With Perley under center, the Gaels had minus-37 yards of offense and fumbled three times.

As somebody who witnessed the game, I can assure you that it wasn’t anything Perley did that afternoon that cost Iona the game. It wasn’t his fault that the line forgot how to block, Mack couldn’t run straight and the defense was on its heels against a confident Holy Cross quarterback. Perley wasn’t at all to blame.

I’ll be writing more about Perley during the week (hint, hint). But, with Woodson due back this week, Perley should be credited for what could be the biggest win of Iona’s season.

Game 9
Nanuet 28, Sleepy Hollow 14

The game was a lot closer than the score might indicate as Nanuet gutted out a statement victory.

Sleepy Hollow was tabbed by many, including myself, as the preseason favorite to win Class B. Now, the Headless Horsemen are an eye-brow raising 1-2 and Nanuet is unbeaten and rolling along.

Tom Hanney made another case in this game as Section 1’s Most Valuable Player. The senior quarterback ran for 58 yards and two touchdowns and went 10 for 11 passing for 140 yards and a score.

Hanney guided Nanuet on a pair of second-half scoring drives after Sleepy Hollow tied the game in the third quarter. Jermaine Garrent returned the opening kickoff of the second half 90 yards for a touchdown.

Nanuet, though, didn’t wilt. The offense was methodical and the defense was disciplined. Sleepy Hollow, with all its speed and big-play ability, managed just 21 yards rushing in the second half.

When you look at the body of work of Pleasantville and Nanuet, can you pick one over the other? Both earned by far their best wins of the weekend. It makes Oct. 10 that much more interesting.

Game 10

North Rockland 20, Ramapo 7

Not the prettiest game for the Red Raiders, but a win that all but assures a playoff berth, nonetheless.

With star fullback/linebacker Sal Sulla out with a dislocated elbow, North Rockland held Ramapo to under 90 total yards of offense after losing to the high-powered Gryphons last season.

Ramapo actually led this game 7-3 in the first half before North Rockland seized control. Angelo Williams rushed for 125 yards and John Sullivan had a fumble recovery for a touchdown in a workmanlike effort.

Jake Thomases has a full report on this game in today’s Journal News, which you can read here.

North Rockland (4-0) is set up to face another unbeaten, 4-0 Suffern, this week for what will decide the League AA-West championship. The loser, though, likely still gets into the AA playoffs.

Sulla, according to Thomases, is still uncertain if he’ll be able to play against Suffern. When I spoke to Sulla last week, he sounded confident he would return this past weekend. Perhaps that was just a confident teenager talking. But while the Red Raiders got by without him this week, they could have a little more trouble against Suffern. And they cannot even think of getting far in the postseason without him,

No matter what happens the rest of this high school football season, there’s probably not going to be another day like Saturday.

Rye lost. Mahopac finally beat Carmel. Harrison lost. Iona Prep finally won. Arlington, Suffern and Bronxville all surprisingly are 3-0. Fox Lane went wild in the fourth quarter. And John Jay, Pleasantville and Lincoln Hall had last-game dramatics.

Add it all up and Week 3 was as entertaining as any I’ve ever been a part of. Let’s examine the five biggest games first, shall we:

Game 1
Eastchester 13, Rye 7

Rye’s first loss in three seasons might have been Eastchester’s biggest win, well, ever.

Seriously. The Eagles have won bowl games before. But being in Class A and defeating a two-time state champ ranked near the top in the state? It’s got to be up there as one of the greatest wins ever.

Check out Mike Dougherty’s recap here.

Rye’s numbers are staggering. Since the start of the 2003 season, Rye was 73-3 overall before today, had won 59 straight games over Section 1 opponents, six sectional and three state titles, and owned a state-best 27-game winning streak. And it all ended with Connor Eck getting stuffed at the goal line in the closing seconds as the Eagles hung on.

Kevin Bronner was incredible for Eastchester. His 83-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter gave the Eagles a 6-0 lead. He had another huge catch later to set up Eastchester’s other score. As you can tell in Bronner’s tone after the game, the Eagles were not the least bit intimidated by mighty Rye.

“They’re Rye. It says Rye on their jerseys,” Bronner said. “But if you execute, they’s just like any other team.”

No words could be truer.

With that said, let’s not annoit Eastchester as the favorites in Class A or drop Rye out of the conversation. This game merely proved that Class A is as unpredictable as any conference in Section 1 this decade. Winning today means diddily tomorrow. Both teams, with all due respect to Roosevelt, will likely be in the playoffs in Class A. So this game is more of a confidence-boost for Eastchester and a reality-check for Rye than it is some tell-tale sign of what’s to come.

Honestly, I said before the season that Rye would likely lose a game in the regualr season (I figured Ossining) and that it would win a Section 1 title. Not changing my mind now. Rye isn’t the best team in the conference at the moment. But it will be.

I was pretty sure Rye would win the section before today. After it, I’m certain it will.

Game 2
Fox Lane 34, Poughkeepsie 28

What an incredible comeback for the Foxes, who trailed 28-14 going into the fourth quarter.

The Foxes scored on the first play of the quarter and then got two touchdowns in the final five minutes, both Jesse Hunt-to-Timmy Muller connections, as they stunned a Poughkeepsie team that’s suddely 1-2.

I spoke to coach Bill Broggy tonight and had this in Sunday’s Journal News.

Fox Lane is a 3-0 entering Friday’s massive showdown with reigning Section 1 champion Nyack, which disposed of Spring Valley 44-12 to go to 3-0, too.

Hunt and Muller is as dangerous a connection as any in Section 1, which is why I believe the Foxes are a team to be reckoned with. I saw it with my own eyes last season when Fox Lane welcomed Eastchester in last year’s season finale, and effectively ruined its playoff hopes. Fox Lane is just that type of team. When it’s clicking, it’s offense is almost impossible to stop.

There are teams out there that better beware. Fox Lane isn’t the best team in Class A. But, aside from Poughkeepsie actually, it might be the most dangerous.

Don’t county out Poughkeepsie, either. First off, it’s loss to Eastchester means nothing. Non-league games have no bearing on the playoffs. Poughkeepsie has already beaten Greeley in league-play, which trampled Brewster. So Poughkeepsie should have no problems beating Brewster, Beacon and Byram Hills the rest of the way and nab the No. 2 playoff berth in that league.

Now, let me ask you this: Who wants to see a Poughkeepsie team that nearly beat Eastchester and should have beaten Fox Lane in the opening round of the playoffs? The answer: Nobody.

Game 3
Roosevelt 33, Harrison 20

Even if you know how good Dave Thomas and Donovan Walker really, who could have seen this coming?

I didn’t. I didn’t think Roosevelt had the size, the depth, the discipline or the confidence to play with Harrison for four quarters. Not only did the Indians do that, they actually played their best late, turning a close game into a three-touchdown lead to waltz to a victory.

Read my recap of the game here.

While we debate the historical impact of Eastchester’s win, I can assure you this is Roosevelt’s biggest victory since claiming consecutive Section 1 titles in 1995-96. Nothing might even be close, actually. The program is dangerously close to folding each year before of low numbers. And with eight or nine two-way starters, they went into Harrison and took down one of Section 1’s best.

A.J. Pritchett, the best kept section in the area, broke out with six receptions for 122 yards and three touchdowns. Walker threw for 137 yards and three scores and recorded 11 tackles on defense. And Dave Thomas had 150 yards rushing and two scores.

Harrison couldn’t bottle up all of Roosevelt’s options and dropped a devastating loss. It will basically now have to beat Rye and Eastchester to have any prayer of getting into the Class A playoffs. And even then, it will still need help.

As for Roosevelt, it survives a major test. It still has Rye and Eastchester remaining. With the talent it has in Walker and Thomas, it has the ability to compete with, and maybe beat, both.

Game 4
Mahopac 34, Carmel 27

Forget the rivalry. This game was just more proof how grueling League AA-North really is.

Mahopac went from a desperate team unable to score a point in the first week to a team Carmel couldn’t stop on Saturday. Josh Thomson has a great recap of the game in Sunday’s Journal News, which you can read here.

Dillon Addonizio rushed for 176 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries as Mahopac hung on after taking a 27-13 lead into the fourth quarter.

Ryan Shilling carried Carmel (1-2) back into the game in the fourth quarter. Shilling, who threw for 128 yards, hit Chris Conover for a touchdown to cut the deficit. After an Addonizio 52-yard touchdown run, Shilling found Aaron Smith in the final minutes to cut it to seven. Carmel’s onside kick attempt failed and the Indians won for just the second time in 12 years.

Gigantic win for Mahopac, which is shockingly back in the playoff race in AA-North. It needs to win out. But based on how things clicked today, there’s no reason to think the Indians don’t have the pieces to do it.

Game 5
Arlington 23, John Jay-EF 20

If you scroll through Sean McMann’s updates on Twitter, you’ll see what a fantastic game this was.

An enthusiastic and loyal blog reader from Dutchess sent me a recap of Arlington’s last second dramatics as the game ended with Sam Loussedes hitting Franco Bianchi for a 31-yard score as time expired as the Admirals won the biggest game in the county in recent years.

Arlington scored twice in the final three minutes for the victory, the last coming on a 80-yard drive that started with 2:00 left. Loussedes was phenomenal on the final series, setting up the last play. With six seconds to go, Arlington coach Dominick DeMatteo called timeout to set up the final play (and passed up a 46-yard field goal to tie). Bianchi was streaking down the field and Loussedes delivered a perfect throw for the win.

According to my Dutchess friend: “This was the best high school finish I’ve ever seen.”

Hard to dispute that, and it couldn’t have come on a more appropriate day. Another local coach emailed me his results and stats tonight. The email opened with the line: “What a day for Section 1 football!”

Going to bed now. Too much excitement for me for one day. I have to get some rest and will be back to recap the rest.

Roosevelt 33, Harrison 20
Eastchester 13, Rye 7

When was the last time Rye and Harrison lost on the same day?

Scores we have so far today:

Eastchester 13, Rye 7
Nyack 44, Spring Valley 12
North Rockland 20, Ramapo 7
Croton-Harmon 42, Woodlands 8
Ossining 35, Port Chester 0
Stepinac 37, Cardinal Spellman 6
Fox Lane 34, Poughkeepsie 28
Roosevelt 33, Harrison 20
Horace Greeley 25, Lakeland 13
Panas 25, Peekskill 8
Edgemont 32, Irvington 19
Blind Brook 20, Yonkers 12
Pelham 36, Saunders 6
Byram Hills 12, Beacon 0
Valhalla 42, Dover 12
Nanuet 28, Sleepy Hollow 14
Pearl River 6, Tappan Zee 0
Kennedy 25, Westlake 6
Lincoln Hall 18, Haldane 14
Hastings 47, Putnam Valley 30
Mahopac 34, Carmel 27
Suffern 28, Mamaroneck 7
New Rochelle 48, Lincoln 8
Bronxville 22, Albertus Magnus 7
Pleasantville 22, Briarcliff 14
Rye Neck 14, Tuckahoe 12
Arlington 23, John Jay-EF 20 (Arlington scored 2 TDs in the final three minutes; Sam Loussedes threw a TD pass as time expired for the victory)

From Friday: Fordham Prep 32, St. Francis Prep 25 (We had this score incorrect in todays paper. Sorry for the confusion)

Watch a replay of today’s Nyack-Spring Valley game live on lohud.com/vcsports1.

Follow all of today’s action on Twitter: